Military News

Monday, November 16, 2015

11/12/2015 - SOFIA, Bulgaria -- U.S. Air Forces in Europe started its first ever Inter-European Air Forces Academy course Nov. 2, 2015.

IEAFA's mission is to provide education and training to Air Force personnel from NATO and Partnership for Peace nations.

"IEAFA supports improved NATO coalition aviation operations through
increased professional development of both combat and support forces,"
said Lt. Col. Chris Erickson, IEAFA Commandant. "The increased
interaction at the junior officer and senior NCO level will dramatically
increase and strengthen personal bonds of NATO airmen over time and
this will promote improved relations at all levels of Allied Air
Forces."

Commander of the Bulgarian Air Force, Maj. Gen. Rumen Radev, welcomed
the first class of 23 students from Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia
and Hungary.

Senior leaders involved in the IEAFA program believe that, increasing
our combined training through IEAFA will build future capabilities by
developing the most important asset - people.

"By training officers and non-commissioned officers from different
nations in parallel, the new IEAFA program seeks to build trust between
the ranks and among different nationalities," said Defense Attaché,
Colonel James Crowhurst. He thanked the Inter-European Air Forces
Academy leadership for hosting the course and their emphasis on
developing officers and NCOs in their leadership roles.

Erickson also stressed the importance of professional military education
for the development of both officer and non-commissioned officers and
how this five NATO nation training event provides a valuable opportunity
for the US instructors to learn from Allied air force personnel.

IEAFA will offer the full Squadron Officer School and NCOA courses
starting in 2016 at its permanent classrooms near Ramstein AB in
Germany.

11/10/2015 - F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- "Once
and Airman, always an Airman," is a common mantra in the U.S. Air Force
and for Soldiers, Sailors and Marines too. This phrase holds true for
the service men and women who are no longer with us, but who will always
remembered."

Airmen of the 90th Missile Wing Honor Guard and 90th Force Support
Squadron observed on Veterans Day by placing an American Flag at each
veteran's grave in the base cemetery and rendering a salute to each Nov.
9.

"They paved the way for us to be here," said Tech. Sgt. Amy Gray, 90th
Force Support Squadron Sustainment Services Flight NCO-in-charge. "It's a
tradition here and all over the U.S."

Mighty Ninety Airmen continue this tradition for Memorial Day and Veterans Day each year.

11/16/2015 - PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- With
today's shrinking budgets and lack of resources, a timely and unequaled
opportunity between Peterson Air Force Base and the local Colorado
Springs community has grown.

Nine hopeful University of Colorado Colorado Springs visual art students
submitted sculpture ideas to 21st Space Wing leadership Nov. 3 as part
of a unique partnership to design a replacement for the empty pedestal
of the now defunct Peterson AFB east gate marquee.

With no sculptors on his facilities excellence team, he said he thought
of using the community as a resource and had the idea that it be great
if the base could partner with some sculpture students who planned on
doing this for a living'

With that in mind, Hamilton called UCCS visual arts professor Matt
Barton to discuss the idea of engaging students in a project to design a
replacement for the marquee.

"This is not a money-changing-hands kind of thing," Hamilton said to
Barton. "It'll help your students get some real-world experience and
also give us some great ideas to move forward with."

Barton said he believed this would be a hugely beneficial learning
experience for his students and a good career résumé portfolio piece for
them. It was an opportunity not to be missed.

This was an opportunity to give them an expericnce they wouldn't get elsewhere, Barton said.

"If they've done something like this along the way, when they graduate
there are opportunities that come up where they can show a completed
public work."

Hamilton said he initially provided Barton's team of students with a
handbook describing the history and timeline of Peterson and the 21st
SW, which they used to design and create various illustrations and
models. Many students also used the 21st SW shield colors of yellow,
blue and red in their work.

Representing Peterson AFB leadership, the Col. Reginald Ash, 21st
Mission Support Group commander and several Peterson AFB facilities
architects went on the trip to the visual arts sculpture department on
the UCCS campus. There they attended a presentation by the students on
their individual design concepts.

Some students felt an interactive piece would be of value to viewers
while others created an abstract. One student's vision was to have an
actual outdoor room-like structure that would blend in with the stars at
night.

The students attempted to create their designs in such a way to describe the 21st SW mission or Air Force core values.

"The goal of my sculpture is to align the work with the Airmen's Creed
using light, color and form," said sculpture student Su Cho.

Ash and the 21st CES architects reviewed all the student's individual
works and asked questions to ensure they understood what each student's
vision represented. He was impressed.

"Had my people brought me any single one of these and said 'hey boss,
here's what we picked,' I would have said 'well that's great, spot on,'"
said Ash. "From my perspective it's all really great work and I'll be
looking where I can put more of these things on the base."

After the presentation, Barton offered to send copies of all student
work for review by Col. Douglas A. Schiess, 21st SW Commander, who may
decide to pick one of the designs to place on the old marquee's
pedestal.

Barton said he hopes the partnership continues even if no design is
selected, and that future students are given more opportunities like
this.

If one of the designs is selected and funded, that student will have
designed a legacy sculpture on a very important asset to the Air Force
as well as the city of Colorado Springs - Peterson Air Force Base.

By Senior Airman Hailey Haux, Secretary of the Air Force
Public Affairs Command Information

WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- The Air Force maintains a special
portrait display in the Pentagon as part of its commitment to honoring the
devotion and service of veterans. Volume VI will replace volume V of the Veterans
in Blue project this November.

The project started in 2010 as a way to honor pioneers of
the Air Force, and has continued to honor Airmen like former Capt. John M.
Hayes, now the 24th Congressional District of Texas military and veterans
affairs liaison, who recently toured the display.

“It’s pretty impressive and amazing to be part of this
group,” Hayes said. “It brings back a lot of Air Force memories -- the training
and leadership and a lot of values that actually last through today.”

The project, run by the Air Force Public Affairs Agency, is
in its sixth year and has told 144 Air Force veterans’ stories. The 1st Combat
Camera Squadron at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, will debut this
year’s program.

Volume VI will feature leaders in government, multiple
industry CEOs, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, as well as veterans from World
War II, the Korea and Vietnam wars, and many others who continue making an
impact on society long after their Air Force careers are finished.

“Veterans in Blue is a program which connects the past with
the present,” said Larry Clavette, the director of the Air Force Public Affairs
Agency. “This year’s program will also feature many veterans telling their
stories via video to compliment the classic photo and biography each veteran
has had in the past. It’s a truly unique program which shows our Airmen, both
past and present, they are and were part of Air Force history and contributed
to making our organization great. This program is a guiding path for future
generations of Airmen to remember, and honor, their past.”

Displayed in a busy corridor of the Pentagon, the Veterans
in Blue selectees’ portraits often gain the attention of passersby who read the
short stories of a few veterans.

“I’ve read a lot of the stories and they are really
informative of all the significant things these people have done,” said Army
Col. Linda Kotulan, an Army service representative to the Defense Business
Board. “All these people aren’t all generals or senior leaders, but that’s
important because it shows the breadth of the Air Force population.”

The Veterans in Blue mission states the legacy of veterans
continues to grow to this day as the Air Force builds a future Airmen will be
proud to lead and serve in.

“This is very important, not only for Air Force publicity,
but it’s also good to recognize the veterans who are a big part of my life now,
too,” said Hayes, who served in Vietnam, flew 166 combat missions and earned a
Distinguished Flying Cross. “We can’t do enough for our veterans, especially
when you emphasize the Air Force part in these veterans’ lives … and in mine.”

Past Veterans in Blue selectees include Airmen such as Buzz
Aldrin, the second person to set foot on the moon; World War II veterans like
Doolittle Raider Richard Cole; and Medal of Honor recipients such as George
“Bud” Day.

Also among some of the finest and most courageous are
veterans such as retired Maj. Suzanne LaForest, medical; retired Senior Master
Sgt. Peter Karpawitz-Godt, supply; and former Tech. Sgt. Tap Gaoteote, aircraft
armament systems.

“I’ve wanted to see this for a long time,” Hayes said,
taking a quick glance at his portrait on the wall. “Looking at it on the
computer is something different than actually seeing it in person. It’s very
impressive, and I got to visit the Pentagon and as a military veteran’s liaison
for my congressman, it’s always important for me to visit with my contacts
here. But this is just a special treat to see this.”

Although nominations for Veterans in Blue Volume VI have
already been submitted, this is an annual project. Nominations for Volume VII
are now open and will be submitted next year through Air Force public affairs
offices around the world.

11/16/2015 - SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- "Airman up!" is a phrase that Air Mobility Command can expect to hear often from the new command chief.

Chief Master Sgt. Shelina Frey loves being an Airman and expects others to hold their head up high, she said.

"I want our Airmen, with a big 'A', to be proud ... to know the Airman's Creed and to sing the Air Force song."

The chief arrived Nov. 9 after serving at 7th Air Force at Osan Air
Base, Republic of Korea. Although AMC's mission is different, she said
her favorite aspect of the job will remain the same: getting out from
behind her desk and spending quality time with those who serve.

"That's when you really hear how they feel about any and everything,"
Frey said. "To inspire Airmen to be innovative, first you have to
figure out what their concerns are. ... What motivates them to get up
every day, to want to come to work, and what keeps them up at night?

"Then you have peel the onion back, one layer at a time -- not do the
cookie-cutter thing we sometimes do of treating Airmen all the same,"
she said.

Since she was a child, Frey's parents encouraged her to believe in her
unique qualities by defining who she was and not allowing others'
perceptions to define this for her, she said.

"There so many things going on in this world. If you try and adjust
yourself to every change, then you will never know who you are. But if
you get to know 'you' and have self-respect, everything will fall into
place," she said.

Self-respect, loyalty and passion are values instilled by Frey's
parents. She said she grew up the oldest of three children in a safe
neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana, where kids played outside after
the street lights came on. She went to church and had family dinners
often, and to this day her favorite dish to cook is red beans and rice
with fried chicken.

"We are not defined by our jobs, we are defined by who we are. I learned
early on our Airmen struggle with this. But if you know who you are,
then other people will be able to know who you are. It will also help
you develop and figure out who you want to be in the future," Frey said.

The chief's future as an Airman was like many paths of self-discovery.
It took a while. She left a teacher education program in college to
work in the same hospital where her mother worked. In 1984, after a
discussion with her uncle in the Army and some research, she joined the
Louisiana Air National Guard as a vehicle maintainer.

One year into the Guard, she knew she wanted more and began pursing
active duty. Then on May 14, 1987, at 25 years old, she was on her way
to her first duty station as an active duty Airman.

"I believe being in the Air Force was my 'calling,'" Frey said. "I love being an Airman!"

Frey is AMC's first African American woman to fill the position of
command chief. She said this is an honor, but being an African American
woman is an important part of many qualities that make up who she is.

"More than I am excited to be the first African American female command
chief, I am excited to be an Airman who is able to impact and influence
change. I am Airman, Chief, Command Chief, African American, female ...
all those things together is what makes this exciting." Frey said.

She is also excited to inspire Airmen to be ready.

"They can expect me to engage with them directly and indirectly," Frey
said. "They can expect me to be approachable and passionate about their
needs. And last, to focus on maintaining a certain level of readiness.

"We never know where we will be called upon, because the AMC mission is global. When the bell rings, you better be ready."

As the western Pacific mobility hub, Yokota received and
redeployed forces in support of the exercise and performed local tactical
training with the C-130 Hercules. Yokota's ability to accept follow-on forces
is a vital strategic capability to U.S. forces and allies in any future
contingency, which was tested during the exercise.

The 374th AW worked alongside their Air National Guard
teammates and conducted 75 missions, generated 186 sorties totaling over 500
flying hours to move more than 776,000 pounds, including 205 pallets and over
1,200 passengers.

One of the key technological advantages the Air Force has
over potential adversaries is the ability to operate effectively at night, and
Yokota's participation in Vigilant Ace gave Yokota's Airmen the ability to
utilize that capability during realistic training scenarios.

"Our night capabilities must be practiced on occasion
to ensure they are a realistic deterrent to antagonistic behavior," said
Maj. Mark Nexon, the 374th Airlift Squadron assistant director of operations.
"This also allows further training for night operations in support of
humanitarian aid and disaster relief missions in Japan and the entire Indo-Asia
Pacific region."

While the aircraft completed missions, maintainers worked
tirelessly around-the-clock to generate aircraft. Maintainers with the 374th
Aircraft Maintenance Squadron ensured the aircraft were ready to successfully
perform operations.

"It feels good to strenuously work alongside fellow
maintainers to help ensure pilots are able to fly their sorties," said
Airman 1st Class Austin Brill, a 374th AMXS aircraft hydraulic systems
journeyman. "This helps us gain experience on what it's like to generate
sorties and ensuring the aircraft are in top shape for missions."

In addition to turning aircraft and flying missions, other
Yokota members trained and practiced skillsets to ensure the base is ready to
respond to potential real-world contingencies.

Medical personnel participated in a mass casualty exercise,
giving them a chance to practice a variety of treatments on more than 20 mock
victims. The training also included a full hospital expansion to facilitate
those personnel.

"The training was important because it helps ensure
that each medic is trained to respond and execute patient evacuation in the
area of operation and support our mission here," said Tech. Sgt. Michelle
Mickens, the 374th Surgical Operations Squadron otolaryngology clinic NCO in charge.
"Having the training as realistic as possible helps us strengthen our
ability to swiftly respond to potential contingencies in the future."

Vigilant Ace also allowed Yokota Airmen to improve their
operational ability alongside service members from other bases.

"This was a great opportunity for us to work together
as one multi-base team focused on a common goal of preparing for potential
contingencies or humanitarian relief operations," Nexon said. "The
exercise also helped us validate each individual unit's ability to operate
together at Yokota."

Overall, the unique exercise was a successful test of
Yokota's ability to provide airlift throughout the Indo-Asia Pacific region,
according to DeLaMater.

"Yokota played a vital role over the course of the
exercise as we built the air bridge that allowed forces to arrive in theater
and then forward deploy to the Korean Peninsula during this realistic training
scenario," DeLaMater said.

11/13/2015 - TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Airmen
from Travis Air Force Base, California, recently participated alongside
other Airmen from various bases, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy and the
Singapore air force, in the week-long total-force exercise Gunfighter
Flag.

The joint advanced combat operations training exercise took place from Nov. 2 to 6 near Mountain Home AFB, Idaho.

Red Flag is the Air Forces premier air-to-air combat training exercise.
Participants often include both United States and allied nation's combat
forces.

"The training touched on all combat situations such as offensive,
defensive counter air, destruction of enemy air defenses, high value
targeting and search and rescue," Murray said. "Our role is contributing
different assets, helping support the fight in terms of operating in a
contested environment by keeping the tankers close to the fight but not
too close that they will be a target. We also kept track of the
refueling operations."

Air Mobility Command, Air Combat Command and Air Force Materiel Command
participated alongside the Air National Guard, Army National Guard, U.S.
Navy and the Republic of Singapore air force unit, to complete the
exercise.

"This kind of exercise allows for different airframes and capabilities
from the Air Force to come together and work together to figure out what
everyone's limitations are," Murray said. "As a tanker pilot, knowing
their limitations helps to make the mission more effective."

Another benefit was the specialized training for the boom operators.

"Refueling fighters is a challenge because they move fast and we have to
keep up with their speed," said Airman 1st Class Nathaniel Forrider,
6th ARS boom operator student who participated in exercise Gunfighter
Flag.

Training as a boom operator involves different phases of training and
specific tasks that must be performed before they can be deployable.

"They come up in flights instead of one at a time when compared to
heavies like another KC-10 and the receptacle is smaller," said Staff
Sgt. Daniel Long, 6th ARS boom operator instructor. "The students will
get a chance to refuel fighters during the day and at night which is
part of their qualification training to go from a flying boom, local
refuels, to mission boom, world-wide refuels."

Airframes such as the KC-10 Extender, C-5M Super Galaxy, RQ-4 Global
Hawk, HH-60 Pave Hawk, E-3 Sentry, EA-6B Prowler and multiple F-15
models worked together to achieve the same goal.

"We got a chance to operate with players that we don't normally get to
train with at Travis," Murray said. "Without question, we practice like
we play to make sure we are always ready. Joint training is great
because when we get downrange there is no delineation of services. We
may wear different patches but we are fighting the same war.
Understanding the differences of the services is helpful and
understanding that we are much more effective together is important to
accomplishing every mission."

11/12/2015 - HANCOCK FIELD AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, N.Y. -- Approximately
26 Airmen from the 174th Attack Wing's Security Forces Squadron
deployed to Al Udeid Air Base in support of Operations INHERENT RESOLVE
and FREEDOM'S SENTINEL from January 22, to August 5.

"For a majority of our Security Forces troops, this was their first time
ever deploying," said Master Sgt. Christopher, 174th Attack Wing SFS
superintendent.

In preparation for their deployment, the Airmen attended a 3-week combat
skills preparation course at the regional training center located at
Fort Bliss, Texas. While at the center, the Airmen trained on a variety
of combat skills needed to defend air bases in combat zones and other
austere operating locations.

Following the combat skills training at Fort Bliss, the Airmen received
additional training in trauma and casualty care, expeditionary entry
control points and vehicle searches in Baumholder, Germany.

Once deployed to Al Udeid Air Base, the Airmen became a part of a
145-person flight made up of active duty, guard and reserve from 24
different bases around the globe.

During their deployment, the Airmen performed various duties such as
safeguarding 11,000 multinational forces and securing over 100 combat
aircraft, covering over 210 square miles.

While performing their duties, Airmen from the 174th were able to be
work with and train alongside the local Qatari security forces.

"Team Syracuse represented the 174th ATKW well," said Christopher. "Our
efforts ensured the success of missions stretching across the entire Air
Force Central Command area of responsibility."

Some of the accomplishments by members of the wing included:

Assigned to the Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron female engagement
team, SrA Sarah trained and mentored the first class of Qatari Female
Police at the Qatari National Police Academy located in Doha.

SSgt Mason and SrA Alec worked jointly with the Qatar National Police
providing armed vehicle escort for the OIR Air Coalition Conference,
which brought in more than 100 Distinguished Visitors from over 22
nations.

SSgt Christopher responded and extinguished a burning building while off
duty. Christopher received the Air Force Central Command and Air Combat
Command Ground Safety Award. He also accepted a letter of appreciation
from Lieutenant General Hesterman, the current assistant vice chief of
staff and director.

TSgt Jason and A1C Nicholas participated in the first joint active
shooter exercise involving ESFS and Special Operations Command
personnel.

In regards to their accomplishments, Christopher stated that he felt
that all of the Airmen from the 174th did an outstanding job and had
performed their duties flawlessly throughout their deployment.

"I couldn't be more proud of being part of such a professional group of Defenders," said Christopher.